The First Fridays Artswalk in downtown Pittsfield returns on Friday, September 6 from 5 to 8 pm as part of the City of Pittsfield’s First Fridays at Five. Participating venues on Friday, September 6 include Berkshire Art Center, Berkshire Black Economic Council, Clock Tower Artists, Dottie’s Coffee Lounge, Downtown Pittsfield, Inc., Hotel on North, Lichtenstein Center for the Arts, Living in Recovery, Marie’s North Street Eatery and Gallery, Marketplace Cafe, Methuselah Bar and Lounge, NUarts gallery + studios, Roots and Dreams and Mustard Seeds, Soda Chef, THECOLLAB, and the Unitarian Universalist Church of Pittsfield.
Download the Downtown Pittsfield app in the App Store or on Google Play to follow a virtual walking tour of art on your cell phone.
The Clock Tower Artists at 75 South Church Street will host an open studios event on Friday, September 6, 5 to 8 pm. Clock Tower Artists (CTA) is the largest and most diverse contemporary, working artists’ group in Berkshire County. Now numbering more than a dozen working creatives, the Clock Tower Artists Open Studios will feature original paintings, prints, photographs, and sculptures. Enjoy an insider’s look into the world of working artists. Newly installed gallery areas surrounding the studios also feature new work in the latest CTA group exhibition.
During the First Fridays Artswalk/First Fridays at Five on September 6, a free art shuttle to and from the Clock Tower Artist Studios will run from 5 to 8 pm – every 15 minutes from City Hall on Allen Street. The Art Shuttle is provided and operated by RSVP Volunteers.
Artists with Open Studios at the Clock Tower on September 6 include Karen Carmean, Deborah H Carter, Joan Palano Ciolfi, Randy Foulds, Marion Grant, Nava Grunfeld, Caroline Kelley, Bruce Laird, Mark Mellinger, Linda Petrocine, Shany Porras, Sally Tiska Rice, Ilene Richard, Audrey Shachnow, Jordan Stone, Sharon Walthew, Stefanie Weber, and Carmel Wilson.
The Lichtenstein Center for the Arts, 28 Renne Avenue, will present “OUT OF THE STUDIOS: Artists of the Lichtenstein” September 6-27. There will be an opening reception with the artists on Friday, September 6, from 5 to 8 pm.
“Out of the Studios” showcases artists who have studios at the Lichtenstein Center for the Arts. These artists – Mario Caluori, Rick Casucci, Maru Dominguez, Peg Dotchin, Jim Horsford, Sean McCusker, Nicole Rizzo, Jesse Tobin McCauley, and Michael Vincent Bushy – will each contribute original artwork to the show. The artwork will span multiple genres – from painting to pottery to photography to bookmaking.
You can catch a few of the artists really getting “Out of the Studios” as they do live demos right in Palace Park (directly in front of The Lichtenstein) from 5 to 8 pm on Friday, September 6!
The Unitarian Universalist Church of Pittsfield, 175 Wendell Avenue, will feature “The Art and Soul of Autumn” by Autumn Phoenix Photography for the month of September. There will be an opening reception with the artist on Friday, September 6, from 5 to 8 pm.
Step into the artistic vision of Autumn Phoenix as she showcases some of her most cherished art photography. Autumn pours her heart and soul into every piece, creating an unforgettable experience for all who attend. Prints and postcards are available for purchase.
THECOLLAB, 163 North Street, will feature “Stepping Out” by Sadiya, September 1 -30. The art for ‘Stepping Out’ is original work by Howard University Rising Senior Sadiya Q-G. This marks her first solo show in the Berkshires. By the time the opening arrives, Sadiya will be back at HU, continuing her African American Studies major, concentrating on the African Diaspora.
Sadiya’s original work reflects bold images with bright, captivating color combinations in an ancient, thick-lined style, reminiscent of ancestral and world art. Her work is largely inspired by the Black Arts Movement and centered around portraiture as a way to celebrate individuals in the collective. Her serene and expressive photos show some of her travels to the Dominican Republic and Ghana. They focus on the everyday (that is often overlooked) rituals/routines of people, depicting a depth and poignancy felt as well as seen.
There will be an opening reception on Friday, September 6, from 5 to 8 pm.
Downtown Pittsfield, Inc. and Framework, 437 North Street, will feature the “Let It Shine! Emerging Artist Showcase” for the September 6 First Fridays Artswalk.
The Pittsfield Let It Shine! Public Art Partnership recently sought a student artist to co-create a new mural for the Berkshire Regional Transit Authority Intermodal Center. Shelsy Rodriguez was chosen, and she will work alongside a mentor artist (Jesse Tobin McCauley) to develop and execute a 20’w x 6’h transit-themed mural that will debut on Friday, September 6 during the First Fridays Artswalk/First Fridays at Five.
Shelsy Rodriguez will also be the featured artist of the “Let It Shine! Emerging Artist Showcase” held at Downtown Pittsfield, Inc. and Framework for the month of September. The Showcase will feature other 2D student artists, currently enrolled or recent graduates of high school or college, living in or going to school in Pittsfield, MA. Artists will include Felipe Romero, Eternity Williams, Holly Dawson, Leora Cook-Dubin, and Arianna Roots.
There will be an opening reception with the artists on Friday, September 6, from 5 to 8 pm, and the show will be on view Monday-Friday through the end of September by visiting the Downtown Pittsfield, Inc. offices during normal business hours.
The Berkshire Art Center (BAC), 141 North Street, will continue to offer Free Artmaking Drop-Ins on the First Friday of the month from 5:30 to 7:30 pm, year-round. For the month of September, The Berkshire Art Center will also feature two window displays: “Mixed Media and Paintings by Diane Firtell” (north window) and “Superheroes of Creativity: The Arts and Assembly Department at Blue Q” (south window).
“Superheroes of Creativity” is a retrospective of work from Blue Q’s classes with Community Access to the Arts. For over twenty years, Community Access to the Arts has been conducting weekly classes with the team of individuals Blue Q employes through its collaboration with Berkshire County ARC. Blue Q’s Arts and Assembly Team does just that: they assemble some of the company’s coolest products in a large, mural-filled room, and they also create huge amounts of art, in a dazzling range of mediums, under the tutelage of CATA’s amazing art educators. This show features some favorite pieces, plus portraits of the artists by Blue Q’s own Bill Wright.
The Marketplace Cafe, 53 North Street, will feature the mixed media works of Gail Gelburd in “Meditations” for the month of September. “Meditations” explores the universality of the human spirit and the environment in which we exist. There will be a reception with the artist during the September 6 First Fridays Artswalk from 5 to 7 pm.
Gail Gelburd has a PhD in Art and Eastern Philosophy. She has been a professor, curator, author, and artist who has exhibited extensively. Most recently she has been shown at the Berkshire Museum, Cape Cod Museum of Art, Berkshire Botanical Gardens, Photoplace Gallery of Middlebury College, Sandisfield Art Center, Becket Art Center, TSL Gallery in Hudson NY, and had a solo exhibition at Art on Main Gallery in West Stockbridge. She was also included in the Designer Showcase at Cassilis Farm in New Marlborough. Her work has been shown and collected in California, Colorado, New York, Connecticut, Vermont, Los Angeles, Goa India, Skopelos Greece, and Melbourne Australia, as well as throughout Massachusetts.
On Friday, September 6, 5 to 8 pm, NUarts gallery + studios, 311 North Street, will open their Hall Gallery to the public featuring the works of resident artists. The artists of NUarts include: Ma’leek Adams-Powell, Casey Dougherty, Marney Schorr, Elina Estrella, Myk Daigle, Brent Ridge, Julia Britell, Richard Britell, Madeleine Boga, Dawn Meltzer, Laura Thompson, Kathy Gideon, Joan Rooks, and Kate Merlini.
Roots and Dreams and Mustard Seeds, 119 Fenn Street, will feature local artist Matthew Brinton during the First Fridays Artswalk on September 6 for one-night only, 5 to 8 pm.
Matthew Brinton’s artwork is strongly influenced by nineteenth-century Russian literature. His drawings are done in a realistic style but often incorporate a painterly and classical linear style. His drawings of landscape and still life are inspired by the sheer beauty of the subjects, and his portraiture mainly consists of historical figures who have impacted his life. Matthew will be signing his book “Tales From A Bygone Era” during the Artswalk event.
Living in Recovery, 75 North Street, will feature artworks by Anika Grey and Stephanie “Sesame” Campbell on Friday, September 6, 5 to 8 pm.
As a digital artist based in Pittsfield, Anika Grey finds inspiration in the modern world, combining elements of electro-music and psychedelic landscapes to create vibrant and colorful designs. The dichotomy between technology and nature is a recurring theme in his work, as he explores the fusion of these two seemingly opposing forces.
Utilizing various mediums, Anika often experiments with bold and bright colors to create a sense of energy and movement within his pieces. From digital canvases to mounted wood blocks, he continuously pushes the boundaries of traditional graphic design to create unique and dynamic pieces that captivate the viewer’s imagination.
Stephanie “Sesame” Campbell went to Bard College on an art scholarship in the nineties based on the strength of her work as a homeless NYC street and graffiti artist. When shamed by a professor’s disdain for her lack of classical training, she put down her brush and pivoted to more academic pursuits. Stephanie eventually earned multiple graduate degrees in philosophy, education, and public health policy. She now works as a national drug policy advisor and consultant for government, health care providers, and nonprofit organizations, informed by her lived experience as a person in sustained recovery. Several years ago, she began her artistic recovery, committing to an art practice after 25 years away from the canvas.
After a series of master studies that built confidence and skill, she embarked on a journey exploring light and color with her application of thousands of tiny dots. Through her evocative works, she has found her voice in creating captivating landscapes and symbolic representations, impressively demonstrating the power of self-taught art.
Dottie’s Coffee Lounge/Dorothy’s Estaminet, 438/444 North Street, will host “Polly, Elano, and Richard, Icons of The Present Day: Jazz, Pittsfield, and Manhattan” at the Dot Gallery through September featuring artists Polly Kurasch, Elano Dallmeyer, and Richard Britell. There will be a reception with the artists on Friday, September 6, from 5 to 7 pm.
Polly Kurasch says of her works “These began as sketches done at live jazz sessions in Pittsfield, Lenox, and Newport, and later enlarged with the addition of collage and paint elements.”
Elano Dallmeyer says of his photographs “This series explores an intimate tour of the now defunct Berkshire Mall. A former place of anxious congregation for the youth of the Berkshires.”
Richard Britell says of his paintings “I paint images that seek to document the realities of the hundred-year-old architectural surfaces in New York City, especially downtown Manhattan.”
Dottie’s Coffee Lounge/Dorothy’s Estaminet, 438/444 North Street, will host a First Fridays After Party featuring DJ BFG on Friday, September 6, from 7 to 10 pm. Doors open at 6 pm.
DJ BFG, aka Gabby Squailia, has been spinning for dance floors in the Berkshires for twenty years. She is known for seamless mixes, musical versatility, and crowd-reading acumen. She is also the author of the novels Dead Boys and Viscera.
There will be a full cash bar and coffee available for purchase at both events.
Hotel on North, 297 North Street, will feature landscape paintings by Marita Glodt through September 30. The show will be on view to the public on Friday, September 6, from 5 to 8 pm.
“When I paint the Berkshire landscape, I am often overcome by its beauty, power and majesty,” says Marita. “Every time I venture into the field to draw or paint, I am hopeful that the Berkshires are seen with new eyes – mine and yours…. I create art to spark joy, conversation and community and to inspire our shared responsibility to preserve our cherished landscape.”
The Tartell Gallery at Methuselah Bar and Lounge, 391 North Street, will feature “Nouvelle Chicane: new paintings by Edward Pelkey”. The show will be on view on Friday, September 6, and when Methuselah is open.
The Berkshire Black Economic Council, 33 Dunham Mall, Suite 101, will feature “The Creative Journey” by DeSean Scales for the September First Fridays Artswalk. There will be a reception with the artist on Friday, September 6 from 5 to 8 pm.
DeSean Scales is a self-taught photographer based in Pittsfield. In every frame, DeSean aims to capture not just an image, but a connection—a shared moment of joy, reflection, or understanding. Whether photographing people, landscapes, or objects, photography is DeSean’s way of bringing light into the world, one frame at a time.
For the month of September, Marie’s North Street Eatery and Gallery, 146 North Street, will feature a multi-media piece entitled TEMPEST containing the exhibit “Hidden By the Weight of Our Scales”. Hidden By the Weight of Our Scales attempts to provide moments to explore the subtlety of the human emotional landscape through illustrations by Antoine Adams. The exhibit will be on view on Friday, September 6 during the First Fridays Artswalk.
Downtown Pittsfield, Inc. and First Fridays Artswalk will host a Free Kids’ Paint & Sip on Friday, September 6, 5 to 7:45 pm, as part of the First Fridays at Five Family Fun Zone on Dunham Mall (100 North Street).
This free Paint & Sip is best suited for ages 5 to 12, although younger and older children are welcome. All materials, instruction, and juice will be provided. Children are welcome to drop in anytime over the course of the event, and all children must be accompanied by an adult.
Download the Downtown Pittsfield app in the App Store or on Google Play to follow a virtual walking tour of art on your cell phone.
First Fridays Artswalk is supported in part by a grant from the Mass Cultural Council, and a grant from the Pittsfield Cultural Council, a local agency which is supported by the Mass Cultural Council, a state agency.
This program is also supported in part by The Feigenbaum Foundation.
First Fridays at Five is a brand-new event led by the City of Pittsfield and Downtown Pittsfield, Inc. taking place in downtown Pittsfield from May-September. Season partners and sponsors include: the Feigenbaum Foundation, Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, Mill Town Foundation, MountainOne, and the Pittsfield Cultural Council.
Check out all of the September 6 First Fridays at Five events at lovepittsfield.com/first-fridays.
Event Highlights (South to North):
Artists at the Clock Tower, 75 South Church Street, Third Floor
Karen Carmean, Deborah H Carter, Joan Palano Ciolfi, Randy Foulds, Marion Grant, Nava Grunfeld, Caroline Kelley, Bruce Laird, Mark Mellinger, Linda Petrocine, Shany Porras, Sally Tiska Rice, Ilene Richard, Audrey Shachnow, Jordan Stone, Sharon Walthew, Stefanie Weber and Carmel Wilson
Open Studios: Friday, September 6, 5 to 8 pm
Unitarian Universalist Church of Pittsfield, 175 Wendell Avenue
“The Art and Soul of Autumn” Autumn Phoenix Photography
Opening Reception: Friday, September 6, 5 to 8 pm
City Stage Entertainment (south end of the road closure on North Street near Park Square)
Clara Guatta: 5:30 pm
Luana Dias David: 6:30 pm
Cancioneros: 7:15 pm
Friday, September 6
Marketplace Cafe, 53 North Street
Meditations: Art of Gail Gelburd
Opening Reception: Friday, September 6, 5 to 7 pm
Living in Recovery, 75 North Street
Anika Grey and Stephanie “Sesame” Campbell
Opening Reception: Friday, September 6, 5 to 8 pm
Berkshire Black Economic Council, 33 Dunham Mall, Suite 101
“The Creative Journey”
DeSean Scales
Reception with the Artist: Friday, September 6, 5 to 8 pm
Roots and Dreams and Mustard Seeds, 119 Fenn Street
Matthew Brinton
On View: Friday, September 6, 5 to 8 pm ONLY
Lichtenstein Center for the Arts, 28 Renne Avenue
OUT OF THE STUDIOS: Artists of the Lichtenstein
Mario Caluori, Rick Casucci, Maru Dominguez, Peg Dotchin, Jim Horsford, Sean McCusker, Nicole Rizzo, Jesse Tobin McCauley, and Michael Vincent Bushy
Opening Reception: Friday, September 6, 5 to 8 pm
Pottery in Palace Park with Jim Horsford
Live Demos with Artists from the Studios of the Lichtenstein
Live Demos: Friday, September 6, 5 to 8 pm
Marie’s North Street Eatery and Gallery, 146 North Street
“Hidden By the Weight of Our Scales”
On View: Friday, September 6, 5 to 8 pm
Berkshire Art Center/Brothership Building, 141 North Street
Mixed Media and Paintings by Diane Firtell (north window)
Superheroes of Creativity: The Arts and Assembly Department at Blue Q (south window)
A retrospective of work from Blue Q’s classes with Community Access to the Arts
Free All Ages Art Making Drop-In: Friday, September 6, 5:30 to 7:30 pm
Soda Chef, 161 North Street
Nicole March Art – Window Display
THECOLLAB, 163 North Street
“Stepping Out”
Sadiya
Opening Reception: Friday, September 6, 5 to 8 pm
Persip Park, 175 North Street
Downtown Pittsfield Summer Music Series presents
Housie Shakers
Friday, September 6, 5 to 8 pm
Hotel on North, 297 North Street
Marita Glodt
Landscape Painter
On View: Friday, September 6, 5 to 8 pm
NUarts gallery + studios, 311 North Street
View the Hall Gallery featuring the works of resident artists.
Ma’leek Adams-Powell, Casey Dougherty, Marney Schorr, Elina Estrella, Myk Daigle, Brent Ridge, Julia Britell, Richard Britell, Madeleine Boga, Dawn Meltzer, Laura Thompson, Kathy Gideon, Joan Rooks, and Kate Merlini
On View: Friday, September 6, 5 to 8 pm
Methuselah Bar and Lounge, 391 North Street
“Nouvelle Chicane: new paintings by Edward Pelkey”
On View: Friday, September 6, 5 to 8 pm
Downtown Pittsfield, Inc. and Framework, 437 North Street
Let It Shine! Emerging Artist Showcase
Shelsy Rodriguez, Felipe Romero, Eternity Williams, Holly Dawson, Leora Cook-Dubin, and Arianna Roots
Opening Reception: Friday, September 6, 5 to 8 pm
Dottie’s Coffee Lounge/Dorothy’s Estaminet, 438/444 North Street
Polly, Elano, and Richard, Icons of The Present Day: Jazz, Pittsfield, and Manhattan
Polly Kurasch, Elano Dallmeyer, and Richard Britell
Opening Reception: Friday, September 6, 5 to 7 pm
First Fridays After Party featuring DJ BFG
Friday, September 6, 7 to 10 pm